Construction of canal-boats fob



UNITED sTATEs NPATENT OEEIOE. A

JNO. H. LONG, OF LEwIsTOwN, PENNSYLVANIA.

CONSTRUCTION OF CANAL-BOATS FOR CONVEYING THE HORSES BYWHICH THEY ARE TOWED. n

Specification of Letters Patent No. 676, dated April 5, 1838.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN H. LONG, of Lewistown, in the county of Mifflin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful improvement in the constructio-n of canal-boats for-'conveying the horses by which they are towed in order to have one or more of them at rest or at feed on board while one or more are towing, which is described as follows, reference being had to the annexed drawings of the same, making part of this specification.4

The nature of this ilnprovement consists in partitioning off a space about the middle of the boat, on either side, forming a stall or crib of suitable length and breadth to receive the horses, extending from the deck of the cabin to the bottom of the boat in which is suspended from the upper deck a platform by blocks and tackle for sustaining the horses and for lowering them to the bottom of the boat when taken on board and raised to the gunwale when they are to be re-` moved-said stall being furnished with a rack and trough and every article necessary for the accommodation of theV horses-and the platform ledged aro-und its edges and made water tight to prevent any dirt or filth escaping over Or through it to the bottom.

A, Figure l, represents the boat. B, the upper deck to which the platform is suspended. C, the gunwale of theboat. D, Fig. 2 the platform upon which the horses are sustained. E, the blocks and tackle for raising and lowering the platform.V

In order to put the horses on board the platform must be raised to the gunwale of the boat by drawing the ends of the ropes F, by horse or manual power. The horses then step upon the platform, which is lowered with the horses to the bottom of the boat. This Operation may be performed while the boat is in the lock or in any other convenient situation-thus requiring no additional time for change of horses. When. the horses are to be changed the platform is again raised in the manner before described while the boat is in the lock or in any Convenient changing place and `the horses step from the platform on shore and other horses take their form.

By this arrangement an individual Owning only two, four, or six horses can compete with another having many horses stationed on a line of canal. Besides, having his stable on boardhis horses always under places, on the plathis eye-ready for quick changing which can be performed in the night as wellV as the day enabling the boat to travel without Cessation nlght and'day. Avoiding the necessity of having many horses and attendants stationed on the line who are not always in readiness-the danger of a want of horses, on the arrival of several boats at a changing place-the neglect of the horses by the attendants-irregularity o-f movementgreat expense, &c. Besides requiring very little room for the horses and subjecting them to less inconvenience from the jar of the boat by the central position of the stall- JOHN H. LONG.

Witnesses:

WM. P. ELLIOT, EDMUND MAHER. 

